Archive for June, 2008

Alkaline Trio No Place Like L.A. Season Three, Episode 27: “No Place Like Home.” It’s a sunny morning in Los Angeles, and the stars of the most-watched TV show among 12- to 34-year-olds are in front of the cameras as usual. Heidi is at the office, accepting an offer for an out-of-town job that could […]

Amy Ray Together Apart Anyone who has followed Amy Ray’s solo career since it sprouted from the Indigo Girls in 2001 can vouch that it bears little resemblance to the group’s cozy, folk rock stylings. From her Stag debut to 2005’s Prom and now Didn’t It Feel Kinder (all on her own Daemon Records), she […]

Allá (Pet) Sonidos De Los Animales Favoritos (Sounds) “My goal,” says Jorge Ledezma, “is that we get a Latin Grammy nomination.” The “we” to whom Ledezma refers is Allá (pronounced “ah-yah”), a Chicago-based band that, in addition to Ledezma, includes drummer Angel Ledezma (Jorge’s older brother) and singer Lupe Martinez. The album for which he […]

RZA Self Taught Robert Diggs isn’t one to wait around to be directed and shown how to achieve something. If this producer/MC/composer best known as RZA is curious about picking up a craft, he is often his own teacher. Appearing: Tuesday, July 1st at House Of Blues in Chicago.

Wolf Parade Cannibalized Thank goodness the primary season concluded when it did. Wolf Parade drummer Arlen Thompson was on the brink of U.S.-politics overload by the time Barack Obama clinched the presumptive nominee slot, and he’s not even American. Appearing: Tuesday, July 8th at House Of Blues in Chicago.

Hello My Name Is Nash Q&A with Nash Kato of Urge Overkill IE: Is this a show for Bottom Lounge instead of Urge Overkill? Nash Kato: Well, we just did an East Coast leg and we were gonna bury the tour in Chicago because our pal’s opening a new venue. We’ve played every shithole in […]

Together Again The spark is back for Hawthorne Heights and Victory Records. Though the Ohio band and their Chicago label have an incredibly successful track record together — 2004’s The Silence In Black & White went platinum, and 2006’s If Only You Were Lonely reached gold — the last few years have been messy.

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten Sony After the demise of The Clash, Joe Strummer wandered. His musical inspirations stagnate, he relegated himself to film scores and the odd acting gig with a side project or two here and there. Eventually, he would hold a series of “bonfire discussions” originating at the Glastonbury Music Festival. […]

The bassist, who moved to St. Augustine, Florida last September, was a fixture in the early-’90s northwest suburban punk scene that spawned Smoking Popes and the Third Floor, the now-shuttered all-ages Elgin venue whose booking agent, Brian Peterson, would later book Chicago’s Fireside Bowl during a period of considerable punk interest. (Peterson has since left […]

“Andy just said, ‘The only thing you guys need to worry about is going into the studio and making a record that you love.’ He’s like: ‘That’s all you need to do. Don’t worry about us. Don’t think about anything else.’ And that’s what we did, and then Andy came in the last day when […]

The Byther Smith, Blues On The Moon: Live At Natural Rhythm Social Club (Delmark) DVD/CD is a false document – fiction, cooked up by writer David Whiteis and the Delmark Records folks desperate to return the “negro” to his natural habitat.

The station that launched the legendary dance show “Soul Train” in 1970 recently hired two WTTW-Channel 11 alumni to help develop local programming. Weigel Broadcasting, which owns WCIU-Channel 26 (where “Soul Train” got its start back in 1970), as well as WWME-Channel 23 and WMEU-Channel 48, recently hired Harvey Moshman and Randy King to create […]

MARTIN M-21 Steve Earle Custom Steve Earle and Martin Guitar did something unique for the guitar biz: They created a “special edition” guitar without the customary big price tag that goes along with a collectable axe.

Look no further than our own city and sprawling suburbs for proof of just how extensive this whole thrash revival thing is. Do a quick Myspace, “Illinois metal” search, and you’ll find a list of Chicagoland bands like Degradation, Infinite Missiles, Air Raid, Vicious Attack, Diamond Plate, Sulfox, and Slayasylum. They vary in quality, of […]

“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. […]